I Believe: September 19 Discussion Guide
Sunday we started a 10-week series entitled “I Believe,” during which we will explore the ancient church creed referred to as the Apostles’ Creed. While there are many peripheral doctrinal issues that are worthy of discussion and serious thought, our statement of faith at Solid Rock is founded upon the core of historical biblical orthodoxy. The most concise summary of these beliefs has been handed down to us in the form of church creeds: The Apostles' Creed and The Nicene Creed.
Although these two creeds are very similar in structure and content, we will focus our attention on the Apostles’ Creed which many believe developed as a clarification and elaboration on the Trinitarian baptismal formula we find in Matthew 28, when Jesus instructs his followers in this way:
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The earliest converts to the Christian faith would have expressed their faith in the Triune God described here. And the Apostles’ Creed is believed to have developed from this place with a liturgical or sacramental function.
Key thoughts about the importance of the Apostles’ Creed:
The Christian faith is an inherited faith. It has been passed down to us. We don’t have the luxury or the pressure of making it up on our own.
The content of our belief matters. The creed is not a way to create hierarchies within the body of Christ. But it does indicate that as Christians our beliefs are distinct from other religions. In an effort to be honest (and respectful of other faiths) we don’t want to flatten out our distinctive beliefs about truth and pretend as though the differences are non-existent or insignificant. This does not mean the creed gives us a complete grasp of God and his world. But we believe these things to be true.
When we confess “I believe,” it is not “I” apart from “we.” We join ourselves to the rest of the body of Christ around the world today and throughout the history of the Christian church through the creed.
Our faith begins from a place of trust, “I believe.” It does not begin, “I know and I can prove.” But, “I believe and I trust.”
The creed tethers us to something bigger, stronger and more secure than just us, existing on an island with our personal faith. It provides safety for theological exploration. It provides an anchor to help keep us from being tossed back and forth by the waves (Ephesians 4). So in a way, the creed is not to be understood as restrictive, but freeing.
Reflect on these points together. How might the creed as a statement and in it’s liturgical function (reciting it with the body of the Christ) be a helpful resource in your life of faith?